10 years of success

PARSIPPANY  Every year, some middle school history classes at All Saints Academy (ASA) here keep the study of the Westward Expansion of the U.S. in motion — with some nice sets of wheels. They are tasked to build a miniature Conestoga wagon — like the ones that carried the pioneers across the Great Plains in the 19th century — but with a modern twist: constructing them with recyclable materials. Students then test the stability of the wagons by pulling them across the classroom floor.

The Conestoga wagon assignment represents the many STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Math] projects that ASA students, pre-K to eighth-grade, undertake that not only challenge them to build a wagon or small bridge or program a robot, but also possibly build a STEM career of today and tomorrow. The interdisciplinary approach to curriculum at ASA — which celebrated its 10th anniversary with a Mass appropriately on All Saints Day Nov. 1 — requires all of its 294 students to use their knowledge in various subjects — such as language arts, history, math and science — and critical thinking skills to complete these projects. Over the past several years, ASA has been growing in its stellar reputation as a nationally certified STEM School, which has become its calling card.

“STEM teaches students not from rote but through hands-on learning. Students are given a problem to solve. They learn the process to solve the problem, come up with a plan, execute that plan and report on the results. They learn through success but also failure — why did my bridge fall down? Teachers also learn to collaborate,” said Judith Berg, ASA principal for the entire existence of the Morris County school. “Since we adopted STEM in the spring of 2010, it has transformed teaching, learning and the students at All Saints. STEM has given the school its identity,” she said.

During the Mass on Nov. 1, ASA also celebrated 10 years of continued success, since its establishment in 2009. It rose through the merger of two Catholics schools in Parsippany — St. Peter the Apostle and St. Christopher — allowing St. Peter’s, St. Christopher’s and St. Ann’s parishes to develop a model of co-sponsoring the school — as a separate entity — that is housed in St. Peter’s former school building. The three parishes help support the school financially, while each of their pastors has been tasked with overseeing an aspect of ASA’s operations, Berg said.

“Over the past 10 years, there have been many changes in equipment, curriculum, teachers and students. But there is one special element that does not change: that All Saints always helps students gain knowledge of the world and of God,” said Berg, during the 10th anniversary Mass in St. Peter’s Church. Father David Pickens, St. Ann’s pastor and ASA’s canonical pastor, celebrated the liturgy with staff, faculty, students and parents present.

ASA stays current with STEM teaching by continually updating its curriculum, teaching methods and equipment, which includes SMART technology and Sharp AQUOS Interactive TVs in classrooms and common rooms, where teachers present their lessons. Its technology lab features Google Chromebook technology, iPad cart, laptop cart, a 3-D printer and scanner. ASA also houses a state-of-the-art middle-school science lab. In 2016, AdvancED assessed ASA and named it a nationally certified STEM School — one of the first three AdvancED-certified Catholic elementary schools in the U.S. and the first STEM elementary school in Morris County, Berg said.

Also, ASA offers the all core curriculum subjects, plus art, music, technology, physical education, library and Spanish instruction for all students. It houses an Early Childhood Center, for students, pre-k3 and 4 and kindergarten. The school also forms its young people in the Catholic faith by scheduling regular Masses, celebrated on a rotating basis by the pastors of the three parishes; morning prayers in the cafeteria; and various service projects, led by Student Council or Junior National Honor Society, Berg said.

One eighth-grader, Maddie Whelan, has attended the school since pre-k3 in the days of St. Peter’s and called ASA “a good community.”

“I like the teachers. They get the best effort out of you. We students all get along so easily,” said Whelan, who enjoys social studies, history and language arts. She has two siblings in fifth grade: Lilly and Liam. “I love that we can talk about God openly,” she said.

Another eighth-grader, Andrew VanHoven, started at St. Peter’s in kindergarten and enjoys English and science. Three of his four other siblings attend ASA, he said.

“All the students know each other. We are all close, which is nice. We love the teachers here. If you are having any trouble [in school], they are here to help you out,” VanHoven said.

A long time ASA educator, Joanne Lardiere, serves as one of the school’s eighth-grade homeroom teachers.

“I love the atmosphere at All Saints. The community is tight-knit; everyone is comfortable with everyone,” Lardiere told The Beacon. “I love that we can celebrate our Catholic faith with liturgies, prayers and services.”

Back in her office in ASA after the 10th anniversary Mass, Berg praised the quality of the administration and teaching staff, which mostly originated from St. Peter’s and St. Christopher’s schools; the support of the diocesan School Office; and the leadership of the three Parsippany pastors. They are: Father Pickens, who oversees ASA’s Education Council and the Pastor’s Board; Father Joseph Buffardi of St. Christopher’s, who oversees the home and school activities; and Msgr. Herbert Tillyer of St. Peter’s, who oversees the areas of finance and business, Berg said.

“I consider All Saints a ministry of St. Ann’s. It’s wonderful to be part of a thriving school,” Father Pickens told The Beacon, after the 10th anniversary Mass. At the liturgy, student representatives from each class placed a classic hardcover book in a basket on the altar to be donated to needy children.

One of the founding pastors of ASA, Father Buffardi, noted that today, ASA has been a success, because the three pastors are “Catholic-school oriented” and “work well together.” The priest called ASA and the Catholic education it provides “critical to these young people.”

Another founding pastor of ASA, Msgr. Tillyer, called the establishment of the school “a good decision.” The priest also called the school’s focus on STEM “an opportunity to know about Christ and receive the finest possible education that we can provide. We are blessed to have All Saints Academy and grateful to the people in the three parishes [who support it]. The school is an investment in the Catholic community of Parsippany,” Msgr. Tillyer said.